- Money is not really an issue, but I got a 45k scholarship from ND and 24k at WUSTL- I want a portable degree because I'm not sure where I'd like to practice- I'd like to get some experience in BigLaw but eventually move in-house or to the business side- I'd prefer to be in a city, but career prospects are more important

Thanks for the help, guys. The Catholic thing doesn't really bother me. I'm not really religious, but they don't seem to shove it down your throat there.

I went to ASD at all three schools. Pretty basic stuff, though I enjoyed them. I'm just not sure how to separate the three at this point.

Would you all choose the same if the money was equal?

If you were set on the DC market, I'd say GW, but if you're mobile, Notre Dame is probably still the better choice. Also, even if the money's equal, the money's not equal. Notre Dame COA is much lower.

Thanks for the help, guys. The Catholic thing doesn't really bother me. I'm not really religious, but they don't seem to shove it down your throat there.

I went to ASD at all three schools. Pretty basic stuff, though I enjoyed them. I'm just not sure how to separate the three at this point.

Would you all choose the same if the money was equal?

If you were set on the DC market, I'd say GW, but if you're mobile, Notre Dame is probably still the better choice. Also, even if the money's equal, the money's not equal. Notre Dame COA is much lower.

I hear ya, but I was lucky to do well for myself out of college; short-term costs really are not an issue. I'm more interested in long-term earning potential.

And I would definitely enjoy being in DC, but I don't want to pigeonhole myself there.

I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

Sounds like you want GW, if this is the case, you should go there.

This is really where I'm torn. I love GW's location, but I love the portability of a Notre Dame degree. Over the course of the next three years, I would probably enjoy GW more, but I feel that Notre Dame would provide better long-term options.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

Thing is, for law school your probably going to be relegated to going out once a weeknight for legit drinking, and football weekends/sports in general will do a good job satisfying that quotient. Also, There are actually a few decent bars in south bend, its just a matter of finding them.

For what its worth, I'm considering BU and ND and location has zero negative on ND...in fact the general campus community factor was decidedly ND.

However the total cost of attendance at BU would be much lower for me than ND, something I have thusfar been unable to justify. However, in your situation...I think the decision is easy...ND all the way. I would not be surprised if ND cracked the T20 in a few years with the new building and dean. Also, #19 vs #22 is not a legitimate difference.

dan55v wrote:The cost of GW is insane, if I was you I'd take Notre Dame's money and run

I figured out that factoring in scholarship & COL, GW would be ~$80,000 more over 3 years. That's more than I spent total in 4 years of college. A number like that is hard to justify unless GW has a significant edge, which--as far as I can tell--it doesn't.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

I hear this statement quite often.What are you looking for?I s/w undergrads and law students and they said there was a good amount of house parties, bars for each night of the week, intramural sports, places to eat, golf courses, basketball courts, gyms, and venues for events.I still am having trouble understanding exactly what people want in a law school city. I live in LA currently, some would call it a big city with plenty to do. I'm aware of South Bend's short comings; a lack of an ocean, art museum(they do have a car museum or two), huge shopping malls, bottle service "VIP" clubs, heavily congested traffic, poor air quality, earthquakes, a general disconnect between millions of people, and a high cost of living. I think I can do without these big city perks for a few years.

ENGINEERD wrote:I am facing a similar decision without gw and at about half the scholarship. It seems like notre dame is the best option but I am having a hell of a time convincing my self that I can survive south bend for three years.

Location is definitely the biggest drawback for Notre Dame. I drove around a bit while I was there and there is NOTHING outside of campus.

I hear this statement quite often.What are you looking for?I s/w undergrads and law students and they said there was a good amount of house parties, bars for each night of the week, intramural sports, places to eat, golf courses, basketball courts, gyms, and venues for events.I still am having trouble understanding exactly what people want in a law school city. I live in LA currently, some would call it a big city with plenty to do. I'm aware of South Bend's short comings; a lack of an ocean, art museum(they do have a car museum or two), huge shopping malls, bottle service "VIP" clubs, heavily congested traffic, poor air quality, earthquakes, a general disconnect between millions of people, and a high cost of living. I think I can do without these big city perks for a few years.

I have to agree... South Bend does have a little bit of everything... I was really impressed. Plus, Chicago - one of my favorite cities in the country - is a short train ride away (and the train is cheap).

stalls wrote:if money is literally not an issue, and you like DC, i wouldn't worry about GW's portability it'll do you just fine.

From everything I can gather, GWU's portability is not as poor as its made out to be on these forums. The lack of national representation seems to be far more a factor of self selection in DC rather than an inability to escape DC.

With that said, going from GWU to Cali or Florida isn't gonna happen. But reach within reason seems possible.

I understand where you are coming from. I had identical $$ offers from ND and Emory and ended up narrowly choosing Emory due to the location (e.g. presence of law firms in town, airport, more to do, etc.). Just be honest with yourself. Would you be happy in South Bend? If yes, then take the $$ and run. If not, consider whether you could tolerate the debt associated with DC.

I would be wary of portability claims. ND grads may go all over the US, but they also tend to be drawn from all over the US. GW grads may tend to remain in DC, but DC is a hot legal market. Both are great schools.